Published: June 30, 2009 10:42 pm      

Princeton star inks with Lions

PRINCETON — Trading his tiger stripes for a Mountain Lion uniform, Jeremy McCormick, a four-year starter on the Princeton Senior High School baseball team, has signed a letter of intent to play the sport at Concord University.

McCormick, a second baseman, led the Tigers in batting average for the past two years, while hitting over .430. He also leads the team in stolen bases for all four years.

Princeton assistant coach Lisa Shoda said, “He is probably one of the few kids who gets on base three-quarters of the time. And whatever he does, he strives to do his best. Once he gets on base, he’s determined to get around those bases.”

McCormick said he decided to attend Concord because “it’s close. I get to stay at home. Mom and Dad get to come watch. I like (Concord) coach (Kevin) Garrett.”

He also said he liked the Mountain Lions’ winning record. Concord is a perennial contender for the conference baseball playoffs.

He would like to continue in the second baseman role at Concord. “That’s where I’m comfortable,” he said.

This spring, McCormick was chosen to the Mountain State Athletic Conference (MSAC) all-conference team and earned special honorable mention on the Class AAA All-State baseball team.

As a soccer player last fall, he also earned all-conference MSAC honors and made the Class AAA All-State team.

McCormick said he considered playing collegiate soccer “a little bit,” but chose baseball. He said, “I still play (soccer), sometimes. Me and friends get together and play.” He considered walking on to the Concord soccer team, but “it’s a lot, to play both.”

Shoda said that he was “one of the leaders” of the Tigers baseball team. She said, “He would be the first to say, if we happened to be behind, ‘Come on boys, it’s not over ’til it’s over. We’ve got to try harder.’ ”

McCormick said he would remember “the friendship” of playing with the Tigers. He said he tried to “go out there and play hard ... leading by example.”

Regarding McCormick’s work ethic, Shoda said, “If a facility is open anywhere, he’s there to work. He’s there to get better and to improve himself.”

Shoda said, “Jeremy is probably the most hard-working young man that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. He gives 110 percent — practice, game, whatever.

“He’s just an all-around good kid. He’s an excellent baseball player. He will benefit Concord. ... Academically, they’re not going to be hurting there either. Jeremy’s very conscious of his grades.”

McCormick graduated this spring from PSHS with academic honors, achieving an overall “A” average. The son of Richard and Pat McCormick of Princeton, Jeremy plans to pursue a degree in business.

Jeremy McCormick said he chose business because “it’s a good major to go into — a lot of job opportunities.”

Pat McCormick said Tuesday, “We are very proud of Jeremy’s accomplishments in the classroom and on the baseball field.

“We are pleased that he is going to get the benefit of a wonderful education and get to play for a successful baseball program at Concord.”

Pat and Richard also expressed thanks to “all the Little League and high school coaches and volunteers who, along with Jeremy’s hard work, have given him the opportunity to take his talent to the collegiate level.”

Jeremy said he has adopted a routine of “lifting, running (and) throwing” to prepare for the college level, but he is not involved in organized baseball this summer.

He said, “There’s not that many opportunities to play as an 18-year-old around here, so (I’m) just working out on my own, I guess.”

— Contact Tom Bone at

tbone@bdtonline.com